The Queen has canceled her holiday trip to Sandringham and will celebrate Christmas at Windsor Castle as COVID-19 cases skyrocket

• Queen Elizabeth has canceled her holiday trip to her Sandringham estate.
• The trip was canceled amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in the UK and across the world.

Queen Elizabeth has canceled her annual holiday trip to her Sandringham estate as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the UK and across the world.

The 95-year-old monarch will instead celebrate Christmas at Windsor Castle with her family, according to Sky News.

The royal family will follow COVID-19 protocols while visiting over the holidays, according to "Good Morning America" royal contributor Victoria Murphy.

Spending Christmas at the 8,000 hectare Sandringham Estate in Norfolk has long been a tradition for the royal family.

During normal festivities, the royal family attends church services at St. Mary Magdalene, exchanges gifts on Christmas Eve, and attends a black-tie Christmas dinner, Insider previously reported.

The decision to cancel Sandringham festivities this year comes after Queen Elizabeth announced she was canceling a pre-Christmas brunch with the royal family members over concerns of the Omicron variant, Reuters reported.

"The decision is a precautionary one as it is felt to put too many people's Christmas arrangements at risk if it went ahead," a Buckingham Palace source told Reuters. "While there is regret that it is cancelled, there is a belief it is the right thing to do for all."